In 2008, Colorado's foreclosure rate was the fifth-highest in the nation, according to RealtyTrac Inc., the California-based group that publishes the information (via the Northern Colorado Business Report). The 66,795 foreclosure filings in 2008 was 27.9 percent higher than in 2007 and 61.4 percent higher than 2006. Governor Bill Ritter accepted an oversize check for about $34 million from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development yesterday--part of a $4 billion national effort to provide money to buy and redevelop homes that were foreclosed, according to the Rocky Mountain News. During a press conference, Ritter said that Colorado expects fewer foreclosures this year. Still, The New York Times warns of foreclosure "swindlers" with false promises to rescue mortgages, reporting that Colorado has already shut down 15 of them. Meanwhile, the Denver Business Journal notes that Denver's apartment market is "shaping up to stay strong" in 2009. Developers are finishing up thousands of new units, reporting healthy demand.